Yankees' Offense Cools Off

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: October 6, 2007

The Yankees scored 968 runs this season, the most for the franchise in 70 years. Mickey Mantle's teams never scored that many. Neither did Reggie Jackson's or Don Mattingly's.

Yet these Yankees have scored only four runs in 20 innings in the first two games of their division series against the Cleveland Indians. Three runs have come on homers with the bases empty. The team has one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position.

''We're going to have to come out and play better,'' said Johnny Damon, after the Yankees collected only three hits in Game 2. ''Three hits for our team is not good. We didn't have too many good swings today, didn't hit too many balls hard. Carmona was pretty good today, but we definitely have to do better.''

The Yankees faced two 19-game winners in C. C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona at Jacobs Field. In Game 3 Sunday they will face Jake Westbrook, who went 6-9 with a 4.32 earned run average this season. He lost twice to the Yankees during the season, but he had a 3.44 earned run average after the All-Star Game break and is a ground ball specialist.

''Westbrook is just as tough as the first two guys,'' said Doug Mientkiewicz, who is 5 for 21 against him in his career. ''We definitely have our work cut out for us.''

Three of Carmona's five strikeouts Friday came against Alex Rodriguez, who was the subject of the first postgame question to Manager Joe Torre. The Yankees are hitting .121 as a team.

''You can't really put it on A-Rod,'' Torre said. ''We just really didn't get anything going. Normally, we're very good at manufacturing stuff. And we just were shut down.''

Torre said it was too soon to start thinking about lineup changes for Game 3, but so far he has resisted using Jason Giambi as the designated hitter. Giambi is 6 for 14 with two home runs against Westbrook, but Hideki Matsui, the struggling D.H., is 5 for 11 against him.

Matsui is 0 for 7 in the series after hitting .185 in September, a month that ended with his having his right knee drained on the final weekend. Torre has stuck with him, with no signs of changing.

''As a player, to be trusted like that is an honor,'' Matsui said through an interpreter after an early batting practice session before Game 2. ''There's no way other than to perform on the field to show that I appreciate that trust.''

Giambi also struggled in September but had a pinch-hit single Thursday. Torre said he considered using Giambi at first for Mientkiewicz on Friday, but Mientkiewicz's ankle was fine.

''It's a different pitcher today, and these are the guys that have done it for us,'' Torre said before the game, adding that Matsui was liable to get hot at any time. ''Knocking in 100-plus runs for us is tough to ignore just because you didn't have a good game the first day. I just can't do that.''

STADIUM WILL SOUND DIFFERENT Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' public-address announcer since 1951, will miss the division series because of a bronchial infection. Sheppard will be replaced by Jim Hall, his longtime backup.

''Doctors are monitoring my progress,'' Sheppard said in a statement. ''And I am hoping to get back to Yankee Stadium to watch and announce Yankees playoff games long into October.''

Sheppard has worked 121 consecutive postseason games at Yankee Stadium, a streak that began with the first game of the 1951 World Series. Sheppard does not give his age, but he is often cited as being 96 years old.

TORRE EYES WANG FOR GAME 4 Joe Torre remained undecided on his starter for Game 4, but he seems to be leaning toward using Chien-Ming Wang on short rest. Wang, who was hit hard in Game 1 here, had an earned run average at home that was more than two runs lower than his E.R.A. on the road.

''Pitching at home is one of the reasons I would seriously think about bringing him back on short rest,'' Torre said. ''It's just going to be a feel thing.''

Torre said his other options for Game 4 were Mike Mussina and Phil Hughes. After the way Andy Pettitte pitched Friday, he would presumably be the choice to start a potential fifth game in Cleveland on normal rest.